Department of Labor Penalty Increases

In November of 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act, requiring federal agencies to increase their civil penalties to account for inflation. Many agencies had not done so in more than a decade. This initial...

And Now This…Pokemon Go In The Workplace

So, we have a new social game craze to contend with as it encroaches on the workplace. What’s an employer to do? Where should the lines be drawn to ensure performance is held to a high standard while allowing employees to have a bit of fun? In practical ways,...

Internships – Unpaid or Paid?

Unpaid internships are permissible if they meet very specific criteria, but employers should proceed with extreme caution.The Department of Labor has a six-part test for determining whether interns may be unpaid. As a best practice, we recommend that you use unpaid...

Final FLSA White Collar Exemption Rules Announced

Yesterday, the Department of Labor announced the new salary threshold for certain employees to qualify as exempt from minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s White Collar Exemptions.Effective December 1, 2016, the new minimum salary level will...

FLSA Exempt Employee Minimum Salary Changes – Doing the Math

It may be confusing but, as you have probably heard, the Department of Labor is planning to dramatically raise the minimum salary requirement for employees to qualify as exempt under the “White Collar Exemptions.” It’s possible this new minimum will be as high as...